Car truck



July 16, 1935.

H. W. FROST, JR

CAR TRUCK Filed NOV. 16, 1931 INVENTOR deny #17051; Jr

Fu l

ATTORNEYS Patented July 16, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2.0%.205 f can ration Harry W. Frost, Jiu, Detroit, Mic'ln, assignor to Frost Railway Supply Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application November 16, 1931, Seriai No. 575,420

Claims.

The invention relates to railway car trucks and has for its object the obtaining of a construction inwhich the bolster springs are relieved from certain stresses tending to shorten the life thereof The invention therefore consists in the means for accomplishing this result as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation partly in section of my improved truck;

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan View.

In the standard construction of trucks used for railway cars it is usual to provide side frames A supported on the car axles, a cross bar B connecting said frames and a bolster C above the bar B extending at its opposite ends through central openings D in the frames A. The bolster is resiliently supported on the truck frame by coil springs E arranged in the opening D of the frame, the lower ends of said springs abutting against the cross bar B and their upper ends engaging the bolster. Vertical movement of the bolster is thus permitted in the frame but lateral movement is limited, first, by the restricted clearance between the sides of the bolster and the sides of the opening D, and second, by shoulders or stops D for restricting the amount of endwise movement. The construction is, in fact, such as to permit free vertical movement of the bolster with as little transverse movement as is possible in practical constructions without danger of binding. However, when the trucks have been for some time in service this clearance will become enlarged through wear so as to permit greater amplitude of transverse movement.

The springs E which support the bolster are designed to safely carry the maximum load under ordinary conditions of service. It has been found, however, that such springs frequently fail, particularly where used in truck frames which have been long in service. This failure is not due to excessive load, excessive vertical oscillation or velocity of movement, but is occasioned by other 4 stresses than those incident to an axial movement of the spring. I have discovered that the chief cause of such breakage is due to a transverse movement of the bolster. I have also discovered that this transverse movement by shifting the axis of each spring from a strictly vertical to an obliquely inclined position, throws objectionable localized stresses into! the coils of the springs and thus causes failure.

To overcome the objection just described I have designed a construction of truck in which the bolster supporting springs are permitted to remain with their axes vertical without regard to the amount of transverse movement of the bolster. This I have accomplished by placing in termediate the bolster and the adjacent ends of the springs an anti-friction bearing permitting universal movement in a horizontal plane. Preferably this is accomplished by arranging two sets of rolls with their axes at right angles to each other between bearing plates which are interme- 10 diate the upper ends of the springs and the lower face of the bolster.

As shown in detail, F is a plate forming a hearing for the upper ends of the springs E, G is a plate for bearing against the lower face of the bolster and H is an intermediate plate. Between 15 the plates F and H are rolls I having their axes parallel and between the plates H and G are rolls J having their axes parallel but transverse to the axes of the rolls I. Preferably the plates F, G 0

and H are formed with slightly concave bearing faces K for each of the rolls which have a tendency to normally hold the rolls centrally thereof. Thus whenever there is any transverse movement of the bolster with respect to the truck frame the 25 anti-friction thrust bearing between said bolster and the spring will permit the latter to remain in its normal position in which its axis is substantially vertical.

With the construction as described the springs E will be relieved from any stresses other than those due to a strictly vertical movement with the consequence that the life under ordinary conditions of service is greatly lengthened.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a railway car truck, the combination with o a truck frame and a bolster guided in said frame to permit free vertical movement of said bolster with limited transverse movement thereof, springs for supporting said bolster in said frame and a bearing for one end of each spring permitting translatory movement thereof in any direction in a plane transverse to its axis and with respect to the adjacent member.

2. In a railway car truck the combination with 4 a truck frame, of a bolster guided in said frame for free vertical movement with restricted transverse movement, a spring for supporting said bolster in said frame having its opposite ends indirectly abutting against said bolster and frame respectively and means permitting relative translatory movement between one end of said spring and the adjacent abutment therefor in any direction, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the spring and corresponding to transverse move- 55 ment of said bolsterwith respect to the truck frame.

3. In a railway car truck, the combination with a truck frame, of a bolster guided in said frame for free vertical movement and limited transverse movement, a spring for supporting said bolster in said frame and an anti-friction bearing between one end of said spring and the adjacent member permitting relative translatory movement thereof in any direction in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the spring.

4. In a railway car truck, the combination with a truck frame, of a bolster guided in said frame for free vertical movement and limited transverse movement, a spring for supporting said bolster in said frame and an anti-friction bearing between the upper end of said spring and said bolster permitting relative translatory movement thereof in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the spring.

5. In a railway car truck the combination with a truck frame, of a bolster guided in said frame for free vertical movement and limited transverse movement, a spring for supporting said bolster in said frame and. an anti-friction bearing between said spring and said bolster comprising a 10 HARRY W. FROST, JR. 

